Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Free Pattern: Bike Helmet Earmuffs

People bike year-round in Madison, Wisconsin. And while I refuse to bike in any sort of snow, it is very likely that I will meet with cold weather as I bike to work in October and November. My husband was the first to state that his ears were getting cold while biking, giving me the look that clearly said, “I’m sure that you can fix this by knitting me something.” So I set to work making him a liner for his bike helmet; something that would cover his ears, integrate into the straps, and, most importantly, stay in place. After a couple hours of knitting, I’m delighted to share the result with you!

And if you are interested in knitting your own ear-warmer, I've written up some pithy instructions below:

Hey there! I love this design, but I am struggling hard core with mastering dpn's. Would there be any chance of getting the dimensions on this so I can replicate it in crochet? I would greatly appreciate it! I know a few cyclists who would really appreciate one of these for the holidays and I just don't think I can get the hang of dpns in time.

I love this most practical pattern. I've made 2 — one for myself (which I've already tried out) and one for a friend for Xmas. I used the magic loop instead of double points and a garter stitch for the bank (I'm lazy). I also made the band narrower because I was afraid of running out of yarn. Thank you so much. fitterknitter.com

I had never used DPNs before but this pattern was great motivation for trying them out! I have made two so far and I have another one on the needles. I used magic loop also for the second one and found that I liked doing it that way as well. Thank you! I do have a difficult time casting the 22 stitches back in the right way. I wind up knitting with the wrong side showing :( Any suggestions?

Thank you so much. Cindy (fitterknitter) just wrote me about the bike helmet earmuffs she had made from your pattern. This is a real find. Biking is one of my favorite ways to exercise and relieve stress. We don't have much cold weather here in south Louisiana, but it does happen now and then, lol. I think this will be a good gift to make for my man friend who likes to ride bike, too!

Fantastic pattern! Ever since I started to teach myself to knit, my husband has been bugging me for a better biking hat. This is perfect! For anyone that is having trouble with casting on stitches at the end of a row, check out TechKnitter's trick: http://techknitting.blogspot.com/2008/12/casting-on-additional-stitches-at-end.html

Hi Kristin, I am trying to knit the Bike Helmet Earmuffs, but I got stuck! I got as far as the "cast off 22 sts. What do I do with the last st on the needle? BTW, I used the magic loop instead of the 4 dpns, I was doing just fine, till I got the this point! Please help!I am making this for my son, he is a med student at UCSF and rides his motorcycle to school! It gets pretty chilly in San Francisco!

I have no plans to sell pre-made earmuffs. Perhaps you can commission someone to make a pair for you? Personally, I would ask your friends if they know any knitters or check to see if there is anything similar to what you want on Etsy.

I think you could adapt the pattern to sport weight by repeating rounds 1-3 a few extra times (then adding a matching number of repeats to rounds 5-7). I would also cast on a few more stitches, say 16 in stead of 12.

The best advice is to use my written pattern as a guideline and try the earmuffs on a helmet as you knit. That will ensure a good fit.

Some people use DPNs exclusively while others use magic loop exclusively, it just depends on your preference. It might be worth trying magic loop if you're frustrated by DPNs. If you're sticking with DPNs, it does get easier as you get more used to working with them.

As for knitting in the round, this pattern creates a cylindrical tube with holes at top and bottom for the helmet straps to go through. So it will be open bottom.

Good luck with your knitting. A lot of learning is getting used to the awkwardness of dealing with the needles and I'm sure it will go smoothly for you soon!